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HiveBio hosts Dr. Reitha Weeks and The Science Behind Lotions

On Saturday March 22nd HiveBio hosted a workshop on the science of lotions, led by Dr. Reitha Weeks, volunteer at Bellevue College Science and Math Institute (SAMI). Students learned about what falls under the category of ‘cosmetics’ and the role that the FDA plays in regulating the cosmetics we use every day. Students learned about requirements for labeling on cosmetics containers and how to interpret what the product claims to do. Reitha also discussed the topics of safety testing and new technologies developed to replace the need for testing on animals. She described a lotion recipe by explaining the basic science behind what each of the ingredients does to make lotion the color and consistency that we are familiar with.

The hands-on element of this workshop brought the class from HiveBio’s boardroom into the lab where students used the information given in the initial class to make, and understand the process of making, lotions of their own. Once the lotion was made, it was outside to the fragrance station. Everyone added fragrances of choice to their lotion while enjoying the pleasant sunshine and tranquil Talaris Center campus grounds.

Students returned to the boardroom, lotion in hand, to discover more about safety testing and the differences between the regulation of cosmetics and drugs. The workshop received great feedback with everyone having enjoyed the afternoon.